Gaddafi troops 'are almost out of fuel' after rebels cut key pipeline

Rebels fighting Colonel Gaddafi's troops have broken the stalemate and the civil war is at a tipping point, according to US intelligence.

Officials believe dwindling fuel supplies, an empty war chest and low morale among the regime's troops mean the rebel army is on the brink of a major breakthrough.

French authorities have claimed some Libyan officials have sought sanctuary for Gaddafi amid a growing belief that government forces will be beaten.

Although the rebels continue to face their own supply problems, they have captured towns from Nalut to Kikla in the western Nafusa mountains and cut a key crude oil pipeline that feeds one of the regime's major refineries in the town of al-Zawiya. It is predicted fuel will run out within a month.

Gaddafi is also facing a cash crisis after Turkey cut off his access to millions of pounds held in a Turkish-Libyan bank.

France's foreign minister said Gaddafi was prepared to leave power, citing Libyan emissaries who have approached the French government. But in public the Libyan leader shows no signs of conceding defeat.

The US State Department also claimed it has been approached by Libyan officials who are hinting at negotiations over Gaddafi's future. "We have a lot of folks claiming to be representatives of Gaddafi one way or the other reaching out to lots of other folks in the West," said department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. "But the messages are contradictory."

The rebels were today accused of looting shops, homes and medical facilities in some towns they have seized. New York-based Human Rights Watch said witnesses were claiming the rebel troops had set light to homes believed to belong to Gaddafi supporters.

Gaddafi's forces have been accused of much worse, including indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas and planting land mines.

Human Rights Watch called on the rebel commanders to restrain their forces responsible for damaging civilian property.

Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director, said: "Opposition forces have an obligation to protect civilians and their property in the areas they control so people feel they can return home safely and rebuild their lives."